NO GENIE OUT OF A BOTTLE
Opening Prayer
Lord, give me wisdom to run my affairs in such a way as to please You.
Read 1 KINGS 3:1–15
Solomon Asks for Wisdom
3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. 3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
There is a reason God issued Deuteronomy 7:3 to Moses, and it is found in verse 4. Doesn’t Solomon have access to this commandment? What is he thinking when slipping the wedding ring onto his Egyptian wife’s finger?
Think Further
King Midas and Aladdin, with genie in lamp, are legendary, fictional characters who were presented with an opportunity to have whatever they wish for. A greater contrast is not to be found between their response and that of Solomon when the living God asks him what he wants. Unlike those characters, Solomon knows the God with whom he is dealing. He loves the Lord. He is grateful for all that he has already received. He recognizes that the Lord is the one who had made promises to his father that are now being fulfilled.
Solomon does not request personal enrichment from God but rather requests what will benefit the people of God: he asks for wisdom to rule. He recognizes the enormity of the task set before him. He already has acted judiciously in fulfilling his father’s request to deal with certain people, as was narrated in the previous chapter, but this hasn’t made him overly confident. When Paul writes about spiritual gifts, he has a similar emphasis: that what we receive from God is not for ourselves but is to be used for the blessing of others.
Solomon’s unselfish request elicits God’s promise to give him more than he asked for. We can never outdo God for generosity. Solomon’s kingdom will be the most glorious of any in the history of Israel. He is the ideal king who was predicted in Deuteronomy, but we will shortly be seeing hints of forthcoming problems, just as Moses had predicted. Solomon’s ill-advised Egyptian marriage is just the first of his trouble involving foreign women. And the high places will remain a temptation for Israel, even after completion of the temple. Even with God-given wisdom, Solomon will eventually bite the dust. It is only by grace that we can stand.
Apply
Pray to receive God’s gifts that will make you useful to serve others.
Closing prayer
Lord, give me the wisdom to walk in all the commandments that involve separation from the filth of this world.
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